


Changing Seas

by BlueRivers



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Drama, F/M, Family, Gen, Harry Has a Sibling, Harry Potter - Freeform, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Non-Canon Relationship, Pureblood Culture, Pureblood Society, Relationship Problems, The Potters Live
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-13
Updated: 2015-12-12
Packaged: 2018-05-06 10:13:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5412974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueRivers/pseuds/BlueRivers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The war changed everyone. Lily and James Potter were no different. Sometimes life goes down the drain just to be chucked back again. This year was defiantly one of those years for James. How much of this storm can James sail through alone? Is he really alone after all?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The kids – ten-year-old Harry and nine-year-old Posey – were running around the house chasing each other, ranting and raving. James and Lily were sitting at the breakfast table both in their own worlds. Lily was staring into her coffee as James was reading the Daily Prophet. Just another morning at the Potter house. Lily got up and released the children into the backyard, finding it difficult to bring herself to talk James about what she had to say with all the yelling children underfoot. Lily returned to her seat. Her pink teacup was still half-full when she returned to it.  
"It's quiet. Where did the kids go?" asked James, looking up from the paper, not even noticing Lily had moved.  
"I sent them outside. They were driving me nuts," replied Lily.  
"All these articles about Dumbledore are ridiculous. He is completely sane and would never take the Minister of Magic position," James grumbled.  
"Of course not," Lily nodded in agreement.  
"Is something wrong Lily? You seem a bit distracted?" asked James folding up the paper.  
"Actually, yes. I want to talk to you about something," said Lily clearing her throat.  
"I'm all ears, Lily-pad," said James.  
"Well, I've been thinking about us," Lily said. "Things have been a bit tense for a while."  
"I can always take some time off and go somewhere, just the two of us," offered James staring into Lily's eyes, the wheels inside his head turning. The green eyes looking back at him showed him sadness, regret and a tinge of anger.  
"Can I please say what I have to say without any interruptions?" asked Lily, struggling to keep herself together.  
Looking into his hazel eyes was making this more difficult than Lily though it would. But she knew she had to say it face to face. It wasn't fair to James, or the kids. The love in his eyes made it more difficult to say.  
"James, I think we should go our separate ways for a while," she announced, tears trickling down her cheeks.  
James's face fell nearly to the floor. His eyes became soft with shock and his mouth opened, but nothing came out. He couldn't believe what Lily was saying. Things had been dull, but he didn't think it was anything worth leaving over. He forced himself to keep his emotions in check.  
"I know you feel it too. I think some time away would do us good. I already have arrangements. It think it's best for the kids to stay with you right now," said Lily.  
"Okay."  
"The kids are going over to Molly's for the week. It gives us time to think and figure things out," said Lily.  
"Yeah."  
"Are you okay with this?" Lily asked.  
James didn't give a response. Of course he wasn't okay with this. Lily was leaving him and the kids. She was staying with someone else. She had planned this ahead of time. He was far from okay.  
"I'll make sure the kids get to the Weasleys' before I go to work," said Lily.  
"Okay."  
"They come back next week today," reminded Lily.  
"Alright."  
"I'm going to see if they packed yet," said Lily.  
"I'm heading to work soon," James replied.  
Soon as Lily walked through the door James hung his head, wrapping his hands around his neck. He couldn't believe this was happening. He pinched himself, hoping it wasn't real. He wasn't asleep, but the nightmare didn't end. His mind was blank. He sat, frozen, while fifteen minutes vanished, and then, realizing the time, apparated to work.  
The day ticked by so slowly. James stared the clock for long periods of time. Today was Monday, report filing day, when the Aurors reviewed cold cases. It was his least favourite day, even when he could think about anything other than Lily for ten seconds at a time. It was unusually quiet in the office today, because Sirius was out this week. He had gone camping with his kids and Emmeline.  
"Earth to James. I need your opinion on a theory about a cold case." Frank waved a file in front of James's face.  
"Can't you ask Alice?" James asked distantly.  
"First off, she has her own reports to review, and secondly she isn't going to be objective," said Frank.  
"What's the theory and which case?" asked James.  
"Sally Bones. I've been going over the evidence for the past few hours. I think we have enough to charge Travers with her murder. I know he's already in Azkaban. But it would give her family some peace of mind," Frank explained. "What do you think?"  
"It's very possible. We caught him at the scene of the McKinnon attack. Edgar and Sally weren't that far from the McKinnons." said James "But honestly, it isn't going to give Edgar much comfort. It didn't give Marlene any comfort knowing Travers was in Azkaban, but it's worth a shot. Why don't you talk to Kingsley about re-opening it?"  
Frank walked off hesitantly. It didn't take a genius to figure out that James was not himself. He was usually a manic on Mondays, going through at least a hundred cases, but it was already mid-day and it looked like he had barely gotten twenty done. Frank decided to deal with the younger Auror after he got this case opened.   
James' stomach turned as he read the report about the attack on Dorcas Lupin a few days ago. Dorcas ended up on top in the duel, but she came close to losing her life. He remembered Remus calling him at three in the morning, worried because Dorcas was two hours late from work. He didn't know why they had given this report to him for review. It certainly wasn't because he was impartial. Howell had to know that this was the wife of one of his best friends.  
"Potter! I need that report for the Lupin case!" barked Bartemius Crouch.  
James quickly signed the report and held it up for the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Bartemius took it and brought it to the door just as Amelia Bones, the Auror in charge of the case, arrived. She took the file and flipped through it.  
"Any suspects yet?" asked Amelia.  
"We have a line-up tomorrow. Potter I need you in at five tomorrow morning," said Bartemius.  
James groaned under his breath. That was the last thing he wanted to do, but he wasn't going to argue. This was, after all, his job. At least he didn't have to work out what he was going to do with the kids for a week.  
"I'll be there. I chose to pick up this case and I don't want this to get any messier than it already is," said Amelia.  
"The official line up starts at eight. We will be rounding up suspects and working with witnesses in the early morning," said Bartemius.  
"May I ask why you are working down in the Auror office, sir?" asked Amelia.  
"Howell had to take a few personal days due to medical reasons," stated Bartemius.  
"Ah I see," said Amelia "I'll see you tomorrow, then."  
"Potter, can I borrow you for a minute?" asked Bartemius. Not that James had a choice.  
"Sure," he said, closing the file he had been reviewing.  
The Head Auror's office was stuffy and dark. The air was thick with dust. August Howell was rarely in his office. He was one of the few heads that went into the field. When he was in the building, he was always out in the deck, the Auror cubicles, helping his Aurors whenever and whenever he could. James would miss August when he eventually retired or moved on to another department.  
"I'm certain you have heard about my retirement by now," said Bartemius "A lot of people are going to be moving around. It's only expected with any new Head."  
"Of course," nodded James.  
"I would like to offer you the job of Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," said Bartemius.  
James rubbed his neck. Out of all the times this offer would be given to him. It was a great honour to be offered the job, especially since he wasn't even Head Auror. But he knew couldn't take it. Unlike Bartemius he had to be, no he wanted to be there for his kids. He couldn't take on even more hours, not when he was about to become a single parent.  
"Before you make a decision, you should sleep on it," Bartemius continued when James failed to speak. "It's a huge opportunity, and you know how often those come up." James did know. It was an once-in-a-lifetime promotion. He still couldn't take it.  
"I'll sleep on it," he agreed robotically, though he knew the answer wouldn’t change.  
James slumped in his chair. He looked at the giant pile of reports on his desk. He blew air out and ran a hand through his hair. He wasn't sure this day could get more stressful. He was immediately proven wrong as three men in French Aurors' uniforms walked into the office. Bartemius came out of the Head Auror's office and greeted them.  
"How may I help you gentlemen?" asked Bartemius in perfect French.  
"We need to speak to Mr. James Potter," said the Auror with the most decorated uniform.  
"He's right here," Bartemius said leading the three men to James. He stood and extended his hand to each of them in turn.  
"I'm the head of the French Magical Law Enforcement and Defence Department. The name is Simon Devereaux, but call me Simon," said the decorated Auror. His English held only a trace of an accent.  
"Pleasure to meet you Simon," said James.  
"This is Auror Hugo Dautin from the French Auror Department and this is the Head of the German Auror Department, Franz Kesselring," introduced Simon.  
"Nice to meet you both."  
"Mr. Potter have you had any contact with your sister in the past six months?" asked Hugo.  
"Please call me James, Mr Potter was my father and is my uncle. My sister died in June of 1975" said James, clearing his throat.  
"Well, this may be an issue," said Hugo.  
"Pardon me, but why are you asking me about my dead sister?" asked James.  
"We have a situation that is related to your sister," said Simon.  
"We know she's very much alive, but she's unreachable to us unless we want to be fighting with one of the most powerful families in all of France," sighed Franz.  
"That's impossible. I was at her funeral," said James.  
"Oh no," gasped Alice, covering her mouth.  
"What?" James asked. "Spill it Alice."  
"Lily has been be intercepting letters from France to you. She thought it was some sort of girlfriend. I told her you wouldn't do that, but she didn't believe me," blurted Alice.  
James rubbed his temples "Okay say if my sister is alive, why are you here?"  
"We found her youngest daughter near the border of Germany and France in a coma caused by a very potent Draught of Living Death. We believe this was due to an issue with the legitimacy of the girl. French families will do anything to keep the family line clean, most will kill an illegitimate child, but they did not kill her or they tried and failed. From what we gathered, someone staged it to look like she was dead. There was a letter that explains that we must give her to the closest next of kin. Without any information on her father, that leaves you," Simon said, choosing his words delicately.  
Alice was the first to go up to James trying to break him out of his comatose shock. She was close friends with James's sister, Jennifer, who had been in Frank's year. Alice was nearly as shocked as James, but she knew Jennifer would tell her to stop acting like such a pansy and get on with it. She certainly was going to help however she could. She owed Jennifer that much.  
"How old is she?" asked Alice "I was – or am – a close friend of Jennifer's."  
"Alice Longbottom?" asked Hugo.  
"Yeah," said Alice staring uneasily at the Frenchman.  
"Mrs. Voclain had you listed on the birth certificate of her youngest child as godmother," said Hugo.  
"I didn't even know she had one child let alone a youngest daughter. She vanished right after her graduation. We all assumed she was dead," Alice admitted, trying not to yell and swear at her absent friend for being so secretive in the first place.  
"How old is she?" interrupted James, finally focusing again.  
"She's nine," Simon answered.  
"I can't see my sister faking her death to go marry some guy in France just to cheat on him" James said, clearing his throat again.  
"It's not uncommon for pureblood families in France to have affairs. Most are fairly open about it. The more affairs you have, the higher your status. It's only a problem if a man raises a child in a family the child doesn't belong to by blood or adoption," Simon explained.  
"A former lover in Germany was able to tell us it was an arranged marriage. It wasn't one either party really had a choice, some sort of ancient contract. It may have been easier to have you think she was dead," offered Franz.  
James shook his head firmly. "My parents wouldn't do that. They were strongly against arranged marriages and would have found a way to break the contract."  
"Mr. Potter, we are not here to cause trouble. We are just doing our job. We are just giving you the information if you want to research it that is your choice," said Simon.  
"You have no idea who her father is?" asked James.  
"Her birth certificate is from Ireland so we are assuming her father may be somewhere in the United Kingdom or Ireland," said Simon.  
"What is her name?" pried Alice. "I might be able to narrow it down."  
"Bridget Alana," said Hugo.  
Alice's eyes sparked right away at the Irish middle name. It sounded like Jennifer chose the first name, so it was likely the father would have chosen it. If that was the case, she had a good idea who he was. Marcus McKinnon. She remembered having a lot of double dates with them, before the war started. She was happy she had some idea, but at the same point it was depressing. She knew she had to tell them her suspicions.  
"One person comes to mind. The only Irish family she would have ever gotten involved with was the McKinnons. I can't say which one of the boys it would have been. But they were all murdered during the war," said Alice uncomfortably, thinking about to the McKinnons. Their clan had been almost completely annihilated.  
"What! My sister was dating one of them!"  
"I know she was back at Hogwarts, but I don't know if they stayed together," said Alice, raising her hands defensively. "Frank, the last time you spoke the any of the McKinnons, did they ask about Jennifer?" she demanded of her husband.  
"That was nine years ago, Alice."  
"Just answer the damn question!"  
"Calm down sparky. The last time I visited they were all quite anxious. Marcus kept wandering off a lot, come to think of it. They all were quiet, as if they were hiding something. I assumed they were all worried about the activity nearby," said Frank trying to remember.  
"Don't call me sparky," growled Alice.  
Frank backed away several strides away, withdrawing the arm he had been about to wrap around his wife. He quite liked his arm and knew that she really wasn't in the mood. Not that he could blame her. He was upset too. He and Jennifer were in the same year, and had spent a lot of time working together on classes. He was angry that she was alive all this time. The pain she put James and Alice through was unforgivable. He was angrier with Lily for taking the letters. Knowing his best friend was alive changed so much.   
"Would Marlene know?" asked James.  
"Maybe, but I'm not sure it's a good idea to bring up her family. Remember what happened when Sirius mentioned them last Christmas," warned Alice.  
"But she might do it for possible family," James countered.  
"Marlene works down in the Obliviator Headquarters. She should be in the office today," said Alice.  
"We will go there next," said Franz.  
"She isn't going to like talking about her family. She doesn't react well to talking about them," warned James.  
"I'm sure we can handle it," said Hugo.  
Simon cleared his throat to silence the cocky Aurors. He knew better then to underestimate the power of grief. He may have not been on the front of the war, but he had to tell plenty of people that had family here they were dead or missing, unlike his younger colleagues, who were still just kids back then. He had more important things to talk about than whether to talk to a grieving witch. They would have to, now, anyway. Hugo and Franz left to be the bearer of good news to the young girl. Simon however had a job to do. He did care about the girl, but he also wanted to take down that family. He refused to give up after his son got into a fight with one of their boys and the next morning his son was found dead. He couldn’t prove they killed him, but he had a chance to get them now.  
"We have transferred Miss Potter to St. Mungo's. She's awake and stable but very uncooperative. We have Aurors guarding the room in case someone finds out they didn't actual kill her," said Simon passing James a thick file of medical reports and official records.  
The foreign Aurors left to go talk to Marlene and for St. Mungo’s. Everyone who knew Marlene gave them all the luck they could, knowing how Marlene was when it came to discussing her family. James watched in awe as the files disappeared from his desk. Between Frank, Alice and Amelia the file vanished. All three of the Aurors had extensive piles of their own to go through, but all three felt empathy for James.  
Without a word, the rest of the people in the office split up James's work leaving nothing at his desk. James didn't have the words for his co-workers or Bartemius to thank them. He took off and headed to St. Mungo's, hoping not to see Lily. He couldn't deal with her right now.  
Instead of waiting in line for ages a German Auror was waiting for him. James had no idea what to say. He was rusty on his French and knew not even a small amount of German. There was an awkward pause until James showed his Ministry of Magic identity card.  
"Mr. Potter follow me to Miss Bridget," said the German Auror solemnly.  
James felt the air being sucked right out of him as he looked at the young girl, lying in bed, reading a book. The two Aurors that had been in the room quickly dismissed themselves to the hallway. He wasn't sure what was more shocking to him: the fact she existed or how much she looked like Marlene.  
"Bridget?" said James his voice cracking a bit as her blue eyes met his, the same eyes his sister had.  
Bridget looked up and closed her book, but didn't say a word. She ran her hand up and down the cover and binding of the book. Her eyes would dart from James to the book, never holding his gaze for long.  
"Do you know who I am?" asked James.  
A firm shake of the head confirmed Bridget had no idea. Not that James had suspected she would have no idea who he was if he didn't even know she existed. It was taking a lot of effort for James to find the words he wanted to say.  
"I'm your uncle James. I know we've never met before. I didn't know you existed until today," said James stepping closer.  
Bridget started to rub her wrists, looking around more rapidly, as though trying to find a way out. James backed up again seeing that he was not welcomed any closer. She stopped rubbing her wrists and went back to staring at the book.  
"You know we aren't a whole lot different. I was in the hospital a lot as a kid and I know how scary it is. I also love your mum and I know you do too. I'm also really confused and scared. It's okay to be scared," said James, using the same tone he'd use with Posey when she was scared of something.  
Bridget ignored him, picking up the book again, and seemed to go off into her own world. She would glance up, but that was all she would do. James would have known the book anywhere: Alice in Wonderland. It looked to be Jennifer's copy. It had been her favourite book when they were little. She kept it impeccable shape, refusing to let James touch it on his own even as a teenager. James heard it at least two hundred times from his mother, and another two hundred times from Jennifer reading to him before he could read.  
"Your mother loved that book, too," said James.  
"She used to read it to me," mumbled Bridget in French.  
It became obvious James didn't know French after several long, awkward minutes. Bridget rubbed her temples. No one was saying anything while they tried to figure out how to communicate.  
"I'm sorry my French is rusty," James offered.  
"I zaid she read it to me," said Bridget in a thick French accent.  
"She used to read it to me, too, before I could read. She loved to read," said James.  
"She still doez. I know they are trying to protect me, but I do not speak English well. I just want to go home, but I cannot. I have no home," said Bridget.  
"You'll learn English. You have cousins, your great-uncle, and myself, not mention all the friends of your mother. You are not alone. I'm going through something scary too. We can get through it together," said James, seating himself at the table. He had no idea what to tell her about Marlene yet.  
"You do not understand. Everyone I care about dies or goes away. Je détruis – I destroy all of zeir lives," said Bridget, tears forming in her eyes.  
"That's not true. Don't think like that, you're too young for that. Listen to me, live for now and let the adults deal with the grown-up stuff," said James, his blood boiling.  
"I do not know 'ow to think different," Bridget sniffled, looking down at the book.  
"You'll learn. Here in England you are a kid. A child. You don't have to worry about keeping a pureblood image, or have any responsibility. Your only responsibility is to have fun," said James.  
Bridget let James join her eventually, and he read to her from the book. She curled up into his side, falling asleep, and leaving him to think. No one else ever stopped by the entire night.  
He wasn't sure if he was angry, sad, or scared. The lines between the emotions were blurred.  
He was just so confused.  
He was angry at his parents for making him think his sister was dead. He was angry that Jennifer let them, and even more-so that she would do this to an innocent child, who didn't ask for any of this. He was angry about Lily and the letters and… everything. Why did she have to choose today, of all days?  
He had missed so much of Bridget's life, not to mention Jennifer's older kids – he didn't even know their names, let alone their ages, and that was killing him. If he could go back in time he would have taken Bridget away a long time ago so she could have just been a normal kid not some pureblood socialite, in danger of being murdered by her own family.  
He didn't know how he was going to take care of three kids. He didn't know how he was going to be a single father. It was obvious to him that he had already screwed up in his marriage somewhere. He couldn't stand to screw up being a dad too. He didn't want to screw up any more.  
And on top of all that, hardly worth mentioning, he had to be back at work at five in the morning, to help with a case he wanted no part of, and to turn down a promotion that he would likely never be offered again.   
James was really growing to hate Mondays. Not like he didn’t hate them before today.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The discovery of who is Bridget's father and bits of life after the war.

Marlene had never showed up at St. Mungo's to see Bridget. James knew it was unlikely she would warm up to the girl anytime soon. They had no solid proof that Bridget was Marcus's child. Their theory was weak, based only on information nearly a decade old and Bridget's appearance. Even so, James couldn't understand why Marlene wouldn't hang onto even the tiniest hope that she still had family alive.  
With his kids still at the Weasleys', Bridget still in the hospital, and Lily off God only knew where, the Potter house was silent. Howell had given James two weeks of personal leave. James didn't get much of a say in the matter. All of his cases had been transferred to other aurors. Now he had nothing to do but sit at home and think, unless he went back to St. Mungo's, and he might run into Lily if he did that.  
A knock on the door cut though the still air. James held his wand tightly in hand. The concern of the foreign aurors had James on edge. He had been learning more about the Voclain family. They were ruthless, and undeniably powerful. They had been an influential family since the French Revolution, and were, in a word, untouchable. The last thing James needed was a duel to the death, but he knew that they would be a concern for years to come. From what James's uncle Charlus told him, the Voclains would not give up until they were sure Bridget would not – or could not – attempt to go back to France and challenge the 'true' heirs to the family wealth.   
"Who is it?" asked James, his hand on the handle.  
"Open up, jackass," said a bitter, female voice.  
James opened the door to find a familiar, blonde-haired witch on his doorstep. She helped herself into the house. He closed the door behind her. His grip on his wand didn't loosen. No one should know about the possible relationship, but he knew better than to just let his guard down.  
"I guess you're welcomed in, Marlene," said James unperturbed by Marlene’s behaviour which would seem ill-mannered to people who didn’t know her.   
"Put that wand away before you poke someone's eye out. Honestly, James you think I'm an imposter? Who spent a month being tortured for information on Lily and you after Voldemort fell?" Marlene grumbled.  
"Nothing personal," said James, finally lowering his wand.  
"Who told those aurors where to find me?" Marlene asked.  
James would never give Marlene a name. He didn't want her going after Alice because a duel between those two wouldn't end well for either party. "It doesn't matter who told them. The fact is that Bridget exists and is here."  
"Leave it to you to assume she belongs to Marcus. We weren't the only damn Irish wizarding family!" snapped Marlene.  
"You haven't seen her Marlene. She's a mirror image of you when you were her age," James said softly.  
Marlene ignored him, continuing her tirade. "Isn't it bad enough my family was murdered because of that stupid group we were in. We were kids being forced to fight a war that we didn’t start. Worst of all no one won! Even now you can't just leave me alone to live my life!"  
"Get your head out of your arse!" James snapped, hitting his breaking point. "Look,  
Bridget didn't ask to be born. She was brought into a world at war. She was raised by people who faked her death to save her from a completely mental pureblood family. Just try to see if she is a relation to you!"  
"How do you suppose I find out? I can't exactly ask Marcus," growled Marlene, getting right in James's face.  
"You're a bright witch, figure it out. Check any letters Marcus was getting from France. He may even have a birth certificate. Maybe he had something in his vault. I don't know. He was your brother," said James, taking a deep breath.  
"I'll look, but I guarantee I won't find anything," Marlene relented.  
James hesitated before he responded, but he decided he had to try – this was the closest Marlene had come in years to talking about her family's deaths. All of her friends were worried about her, but there never seemed to be a chance to try to get her to open up. He wanted to see Marlene be able to live a normal life like he had seen several others do. He braced himself for an explosion and said, "Marlene, you don't have to live your life like this. Stop pretending like you're fine. Blaming yourself or what happened is making it worse. They are dead because of Voldemort. Deal with it. Hate him if you have to hate someone. Too many of us were lost to the war. Don't be another."  
Somewhat to James' surprise, Marlene turned away instead of hexing him in the buttocks like she had to Sirius, whom could sit properly for two months even with sucking up his pride and going to St. Mungo’s.  
She found herself staring into the picture on the wall of herself, Alice and Lily in their fifth year. Everything went to hell so quickly. She could barely remember what it was like be a carefree teenager. She remembered how much she took her family for granted. It was her fault they were dead. It was her fault for being so reckless. She could never forgive the girl in the picture. She had ruined everything she had going for her. Her family paid for her naivety with their lives.  
"Everyone in the Order lost people or their own lives," James continued, hoping she was listening. "They only found a finger of Benjy. Fabian lost everything after the war ended because he didn't know how to live a normal life. Every time I look at the boys, I see my parents. Edgar lost his wife and brother, and is left to raise his boys and his niece. Dorcas and Remus lost their second baby. We all have to live with what we did, and the price we paid for fighting for the right side."  
Tears rolled down Marlene's cheeks. Liam was only fifteen, he hadn't even taken his OWL's yet. He would never graduate from Hogwarts, or get married and have kids. Eric was finally sober and getting his life together. He never got to see the reward for giving up drinking. Marcus had everything going for him and didn't get to enjoy it. Her kids didn't have grandparents, cousins or uncles that Marlene knew of. Marlene hadn't seen her sister ever since she married that Lovegood lunatic, she had no idea if they had a child or not. It wasn’t fair she lost everyone she loved. It wasn’t fair her kids only had her and their father.  
"It isn't fair. Sometimes I wish I could believe they are still alive, like Pandora does, but I can't. I know we didn't find Marcus's body, but the house was barely standing. Liam was-was literally butchered and he couldn't even properly defend himself, but he still managed to knock out Travers so we were able to catch him. They never did find Eric's head. My parents were killed while they were asleep," said Marlene, breaking down into sobs. The voice in her head screaming at her it was her fault echoed over and over.  
James flinched at the details that haunted Marlene every day. The Death Eaters were brutal towards the end. He could never get the image of what they did to Sally Bones out of his head. He had been the first auror at scene. It was a miracle that all of her boys survived that night. He couldn't imagine what Marlene and Edgar were still going through every day, and he knew that.  
"They died so we could have a future. I know what's what my father would say.  
We have to hold onto that," he said gently.  
"We were the ones fighting, why wasn't it us that died, not them?"  
"I don't know. We must not be done with this life yet. Maybe Bridget is being brought to us to heal these wounds," said James, remembering his mother's wisdom, as if she was speaking the words into his ear.  
"Or she was brought to us to remind us what we fought for," said Marlene, smiling softly and wiping her face.  
"Is that you agreeing to meet her?" asked James.  
"As close as you're going to get," Marlene said.  
POP! POP!  
A slight breeze blew through the empty Potter house. A book was launched from the bookshelf in the living room. It landed in the middle of the room, open to a page on seers.  
\---------------------------Line Break---------------------------  
St. Mungo's was bustling, as usual. The Witch Greeter just waved at James as he passed. He was here so often that they didn't ask for identification anymore, which actually concerned James, but the aurors would always stop him before going in so he didn't feel too worried.  
"When can I leave thiz l'enfer stérile," complained Bridget.  
"You don't know French, do you James?" asked Marlene.  
"I do but I haven't spoken in years," replied James "Why?"  
"Oh nothing," said Marlene looking at her nails.  
"Merlin's sake," said Bridget rolling her eyes.  
"Don't the French say something else?" asked Marlene.  
"Too paresseux to say the saying. Mama says it," said Bridget.  
"It is strange James I'll give you that. But Marcus wouldn't kept that from me, would he?" said Marlene, unable to take her eyes off Bridget.  
"Don't ask me, I thought my sister was dead since I was fifteen," James said.  
"Why you regardes me?" asked Bridget glaring at Marlene.  
"I'm just confused. You really need to work on her bluntness," said Marlene.  
James rolled his eyes at Marlene. "And that's coming from the Queen of Bluntness," he laughed.  
"Oh shut up," said Marlene rolling her eyes in return.  
"Will someone explain?" interrupted Bridget crossing her arms.  
"It's a long story," said James.  
Marlene looked down at her hands, hoping James would explain, focusing on her silver ring and its dark red stone, rather than the girl who looked like her brother's daughter. Her blue eyes gleamed suddenly as she was graced with a brilliant idea. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of this before. It was a perfect way to know for sure. "James there is an easier way to find out. It was literally right in front of me," said Marlene wiggling the ring off her finger.  
"Huh?"  
"My ring. It is an old family heirloom passed down to the next heir. It will only fit someone with a McKinnon father, you know, to keep the family heritage within the family," said Marlene.  
"Why did they care so much to make a ring for it?" asked James shaking his head.  
"It traces back to when Vikings arrived in Ireland. It was a way to be certain heirs in magical families were truly heirs. No one really cares about that anymore it's just tradition now," said Marlene holding out the ring to Bridget.  
"What do you wantz me to do with it?" asked Bridget.  
"Put it on your right ring finger," said Marlene.  
Bridget took the ring, raising an uncomprehending eyebrow at Marlene. It glided right onto the finger. The gemstone went from dark red to a golden yellow then glowed before going back to its natural dark red.  
"What waz zat?" asked Bridget.  
"It was a ring that just told us who your father is," said Marlene taking the ring back as Bridget held it out to her.  
"Que'st il?" the girl asked. "'Who is 'e?"  
"My brother," said Marlene.  
"Then where is 'e?" asked Bridget.  
"Erm-James, want to take that one?" said Marlene looking down at her shoes.  
James took a deep breath before muttering the simple sentence. "He is dead."  
Bridget didn't respond in shock or grief. She just let it go. James didn't quite know what to make of the lack of reaction. He knew his girls were emotional just at the mention of something dying. But then he had to remind himself Bridget wasn't like his girls.  
"Do not stand at my grave and weep," she recited quietly,  
"I am not there. I do not sleep.  
I am a thousand winds that blow.  
I am the diamond glints on snow.  
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.  
I am the gentle autumn rain.  
When you awaken in the morning's hush  
I am the swift uplifting rush  
Of quiet birds in circled flight.  
I am the soft stars that shine at night.  
Do not stand at my grave and cry;  
I am not there. I did not die."  
There was a moment of silence when Bridget finished her recitation, just like in France, when she had recited it at funerals.  
"I've never heard that poem before. Who wrote it?" asked Marlene.  
"I don't know. My mémé said when she was dying," shrugged Bridget.  
Marlene had nothing to say. No child this young should have to carry the burden of the death of a loved one, yet so many children did after the war. If given a chance, she would have died so her family could have lived.  
James and Marlene stayed the entire day. Bridget felt as if her English begin to improve as she listened and tried to communicate. It was frustrating that she couldn't speak English well. Reciting poetry or songs was easy, but in conversation she worried about saying the wrong thing, and became so flustered that she made silly mistakes. She really wanted to be able to talk to people here like she could in France. But as much as she wanted to speak English, she wanted to leave the hospital more. She felt perfectly fine, but no one was letting her leave. People were talking to her as if she was a fragile doll that could be broken, and it was driving her nutty.  
"When can I leave?" she yawned.  
"Soon," said James.  
"Je déteste zis place," whined Bridget.  
"Why are they keeping her here?" asked Marlene several minutes later, after Bridget had fallen asleep.  
"I think they are concerned about safety. They seem to think I can't protect her well enough from the mental family my sister married into," said James.  
"She's obviously illegitimate. They were trying to purge the family line of her?" assumed Marlene.  
"Appears so. They issue is they are force to be reckoned with and they are concerned they'll find out and come after her. My sister and husband may have thrown them off for now, but they'll be suspicious when there is no body," said James.  
"Codswallop!"  
"Shhh" James hushed.  
"Like bloody hell you can't protect her. She's going to be surrounded by gifted witches and wizards," said Marlene, fuming with anger.  
"You know you sound like your mother," chuckled James, remembering the feisty Irish woman who used to come over for tea with his mother.  
"I know I do. I'm yelling at Kara thinking we sound like my mam and I did," Marlene groaned, rubbing her temples.  
"I'm just worried about the Posey’s reaction to her" sighed James “Harry likely wouldn’t care.”  
"I think you should be more worried about how she will react to Posey. If she's like Marcus, she'll be very competitive," said Marlene.  
"That's if she is able to be in the house before the kids return. I'm slightly tempted to dump my kids on Sirius and Emmeline in the woods," said James.  
"James! Emmeline already has seven kids there with her," gasped Marlene rolling her eyes.  
"I'm pretty sure they only have six kids," said James. "Oh I get it, you're counting Sirius, too."  
"James, he is worse than any of the children. I should know. You know I'm glad Emmeline got stuck marrying him, but damn, I wish he hadn't been cheating," said Marlene "even though I was 'supposed' to be dead at the time."  
"That makes two of us," mumbled James.  
"I'm sorry," said Marlene.  
"What are you sorry for?" asked James.  
Guilt and shock grew over Marlene's playful expression. She couldn't believe Lily didn't tell him. Actually, no she could believe that Lily would leave that part out. She didn't want to be the one to tell James, but someone had to. It wasn't right for him to think it was his fault, when this was all on Lily. Marlene cared a lot about Lily, but she screwed up an amazing marriage.  
"You don't know. She said she talked to you, guess she left out that part," muttered Marlene under her breath.  
"What in bloody hell are you talking about?!"  
"Shhh," hushed Marlene, looking at Bridget who rolled over.  
"Lily's been having an affair with Snape," spat Marlene with a scowl.  
"What? How long?" James only just managed to keep his voice down.  
"James, I'm not sure I'm the person who should be talking about that with you," sighed Marlene trying not to look into James's eyes. She couldn't bear to see the pain she knew all too well.  
"Damnit Marlene, just tell me," snapped James.  
"At least three months since I found out. I told her she was idiot, but she told me to sod off, so it could have been longer," Marlene said, as calmly as she could. She felt bad for breaking her promise not to tell James, but at this point breaking that promise was the lesser evil.  
One of the living chairs exploded with a loud pop, sending stuffing flying everything. James instantly went from explosive rage to laughing at Marlene, who had stuffing all over her hair. The witch was not amused at all, given that she was going to spend hours trying to get the stuffing out her hair.  
"We heard an explosion, is everything okay?" asked Hugo as he rushed in with Franz.  
"Just him exploding a chair," grumbled Marlene.  
"You are?" asked Franz drawing a wand out on Marlene.  
"I would strongly recommend you get that wand out my face. I'm her aunt! And we met the other day," said Marlene.  
As Franz lowered his wand James raised his. Unlike Marlene, James knew that Franz and Hugo had gone back to their respective countries earlier that day. Marlene looked at James in complete and utter confusion.  
"Who are you?" snarled James.  
"Mr. Potter, are you sure you are well?" said Hugo "We talked this morning."  
"You said that you were leaving for Pairs at noon and Franz left last night for Frankfurt," James addressed to both Hugo and Franz.  
"You are just figuring this out? I thought they said you were bright. There is no Franz or Hugo," laughed Franz as his German accent turned into a French one, and his hair became dark brown and his eyes icy blue.  
"A few memory charms on Simon and he didn't question a thing," laughed Hugo as his appearance mirrored 'Franz'.  
Marlene backed up slowly, desperately wanting to get Bridget out of here. She refused to lose the niece she just found out she had. She'd die before she'd let them hurt her.  
"Don't even think about it," warned 'Hugo'.  
Marlene and James both jumped as a ball of fire shot pass them, landing directly on 'Franz'. Bridget was standing up with a ball of fire spiralling in her hand.  
"I am not afraid of you. You will never win. If anyone should be afraid it's you," warned Bridget in French.  
"I told you she could use the fire element on command," groaned 'Franz'.  
"Shame for such power to go to waste," said 'Hugo', aiming towards Bridget. Bridget stared him down and didn't budge an inch.  
"How dare you aim at my niece!" shouted Marlene. She waved her hand, sending both of the imposters flying.  
James grabbed Bridget despite her resistance and apparated her to the waiting room before returning to the fight. Bridget was furious that James had pulled her way. She wanted to fight them as much as much as they wanted her dead. She hated them all for taking away everything she knew. She wanted them to pay.  
By the time Simon arrived, Marlene and James had the imposters well under control. Frank and Alice were the first British aurors to arrive. Alice threatened to hex them a few times for good measure before Amelia and Kingsley arrived to formally arrest them. Kingsley took the initiative to take imposters to lockup so Amelia would get more information to help them then he could.  
"Will someone please explain to me what just happened up there?" asked James.  
The entire group – James, Marlene, and Bridget, plus Amelia, Alice, and Frank, who had stayed behind just in case there were any more imposters around – had moved to the waiting room. Alice and Frank were shocked at the resemblance between the young girl and Marlene. The young girl looked more like Marlene's daughter than Kara did.  
"All kids under the age of eleven are capable of using elemental magic," Marlene explained. "Lily was good with Earth magic, making flowers and such, but she lost it once she turned eleven like most kids do. But in rare cases it doesn't go away. You find wizards like Professor Dumbledore can still use elemental magic. It's a secret that is well kept in the Department of Ministry. It hasn't been taught at Hogwarts since the Great London Fire in 1666."  
"Yes," Amelia confirmed, "it's very rare for a child to keep using elemental magic. Most people will lose it by thirteen if not before. But when it remains it has been shown to run in families. Where do you think the names Bones came from? Our talent with death magic is also a curse, so many of us die because of what we can do. The McKinnons are another family it runs in. It used to run in most pureblood lines actually, but it has been lost over the years. Very few people in the world, who aren't users know about it. And you cannot tell anyone. People used to hunt down kids who could use the elements and forced them to overuse their power. Using it too much causes them to lose their power from overuse or die, which is part of the reason it's so rare now."  
"Is it possible it will go away once she turns eleven?" asked James uneasy about the idea of having a future teenager who could start fires.  
"Maybe, but unlikely," said Marlene "Marcus and I continued to be able to use it. Eric and Liam didn't."  
"So luck of the draw?" said James.  
"No, more like Eric lost it at twelve and Liam's nearly killed him. He lost control of it and nearly drowned himself. He never used his powers again after that," shrugged Marlene. "Both of my parents could use it until their death."  
"That explains a lot actually. I remember Marcus causing a few fires in the boys' dormitories in our first few years, it always stumped the prefects on how he did it," said Amelia casually. No one was sure if she was serious or not.  
"You are telling me there is a whole different type of magic," said James. He felt like his head was going to explode.  
"James, there are thousands of types of magic," said Frank.  
"Franky, I think James is having a headache as it is," said Alice grabbing Frank's forearm.  
"Why am I the only one here that doesn't know?" James asked, feeling very left out.  
"Well I doesn't run in your family anymore, and you were always sleeping in classes that discussed the former use of elemental magic," offered Marlene.  
James glowered at Marlene. She just rolled her eyes. Like glaring bothered her. She grew up with two older brothers she enjoyed annoying even to their graves. She remembered Eric showing up at flat threatening to curse a certain body part off Sirius in a drunken rage after she told her family she was pregnant shortly after graduation. He hated Sirius and would tell Marlene all the time how she deserved better. She knew now that he was right, and she was blindly in love.  
"Can I leave 'ere now?" asked Bridget, feeling abnormally tired for the early evening.  
Simon walked up to the group sluggishly. He felt like an incompetent rookie. He couldn't believe he fell for this. He was just lucky that someone had been there to stop them. Even with an element power, Bridget would have never stood a chance.  
"That would be wise. If they knew she was here this also means they know she's alive," said Simon "I'm so sorry about this. I never realized… I'm hoping this was just two random family members, who hadn't told the rest of the family yet."  
"Why does that matter?" asked Amelia.  
"Let's just say they don't take kindly to being betrayed," said Simon looking at Bridget, unwilling to say if the whole family knew, it was likely that the rest of the family wiped out Jennifer, her husband, and the two older children by now.  
"Ooooh, I see," said Amelia catching the hint.  
"I'm taking her to my Uncle Charlus," James decided. "If they talked to the rest of the family, they'll expect she's with me. They will never expect my uncle."  
"Sounds brilliant. I'll have the Potter manor heavily guarded. I have enough to get them on impersonating an auror, attempted murder, assault of an auror, international fraud, and child endangerment. I have enough influence in the Ministry to make it happen," said Amelia "I know this family well, this isn't the first time they've caused trouble here. They aren't getting away this time."  
"We've been trying for years to get them on something. Be my guest and try," sighed Simon.  
"There is a lot you don't know about me," said Amelia, apparating away.   
"Should we be concerned?" asked Marlene knowing how Edgar was when he had his mind set to something. It was safe to assume that Amelia was the same way or worse. Marlene just didn’t honestly know Amelia as well as Edgar.  
"Nah, she'll be fine. She knows what she is doing," said James.  
"I must get to France to do some digging. Get her out of here. Do whatever it takes to keep her hidden," said Simon. "She's our only hope on finally taking down the heads of the Voclain family."  
James didn't waste any time. He couldn't protect his sister now, but he could protect Bridget. He wished to be able to hug his sister again, but he was able to hug Bridget right in this moment. He would do whatever he could so he could have his sister back. He trusted Amelia to make it happen. He would put his life in her hands. She was the best auror he knew. If anyone could do it, she could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There isn't any graphic violence until chapter five by the way. There may be mild swearing slip in dialogue sometimes.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you think of it. Chapters 2 to 4 should be up by the end of this week. They are all done, but I want to space it out. This can also be found on fanfiction.net so if you see it it wasn't copied and this account will be linked to my profile there.


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